‘Evangelion’ Studio Khara and SlowCurve Board ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Studio Khara, the Japan-based animation house behind the “Evangelion” franchise, has boarded “Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1″ to produce a dedicated animated sequence for the film.

SlowCurve, the Japanese production company that brought Studio Khara onto the project, will handle planning and production coordination between the Japanese and international teams.

The segment will be directed by Honma Akira, with Ito Noriko serving as character designer. Maeda Mahiro – whose credits include “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” – will also join as a key creative contributor. Maeda is currently on staff at Studio Khara, which is led by “Evangelion” creator Anno Hideaki.

“Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1” is a two-part animated feature set within the world of the “Baahubali” franchise. The film is produced by Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni and S.S. Rajamouli through Hyderabad-based Arka Mediaworks. Director Ishan Shukla, previously known for “Star Wars: Visions” and the Indo-French co-production “Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust,” helms both parts, working from screenplays by Scott Mosier. The story was conceived by Shukla and Sowmya Sharma.

Prabhas reprises his role from the live-action films as the voice of Amarendra Baahubali, with Ramya Krishnan returning as Sivagami. Composer M.M. Keeravani, the Oscar winner behind the scores for “RRR” and the original “Baahubali” films, is scoring the project.

Set in the wake of the cliffhanger ending of “Baahubali: The Beginning,” the film follows the betrayed and murdered prince Amarendra Baahubali into the afterlife, where he finds himself drawn into an ancient cosmic war between devas and asuras. Navigating 14 realms of existence, he forges an unlikely alliance and fights to restore balance to the cosmos.

Released worldwide between 2015 and 2018, the “Baahubali” films – “Baahubali: The Beginning” and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” – directed by Rajamouli and produced by Yarlagadda and Devineni for Arka Mediaworks, were made on a combined budget of $70 million and collected $370 million globally. Presented in the Telugu and Tamil languages, and several dubbed versions, the films featured Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia. On its own, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” is the third highest-grossing Indian film of all time, after “Dangal” and “Dhurandhar: The Revenge.”

The production spans India, France, the U.K. and Japan. Additional production partners on the film include Mihira Visual Labs, the tech-first creative studio founded by Yarlagadda, Raja Koduri and Rajamouli; Aniventure; Zaratan Studios; and Alcyde Studios. Part 1 has been selected for the Work in Progress section of the Annecy Animation Festival, where new footage will be screened. The Annecy panel will feature Shukla alongside art director Ajey Lele, co-writer Sowmya Sharma, animation director Antoine Charreyron (“Batwheels”) and CG supervisor Simon Brown (“Guardians of the Galaxy”).

SlowCurve was founded in 2006 as an animation publicity and marketing firm before pivoting into original production in 2016. The company has promoted more than 300 titles and now develops and produces animated projects for domestic and international markets.

Arka Mediaworks provided Variety with several work-in-progress art board images from “Baahubali: The Eternal War.”